The City of Sacramento is negotiating a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) to install four digital billboards along several freeways within city limits.

The four proposed digital billboards would be located at Interstate 80 at Northgate, Interstate 5 at Richards Blvd., Capital City Freeway at Fulton Ave., and Highway 99 at Mack Road.

The city’s goals for installing the digital billboards are to diversify and increase city funds.

According to Tom Zeidner, the senior economic development project manager, the financial terms between the city and CCO are still being negotiated, and he is not able to discuss the specifics.

The revenue the city is expected to earn and how it will be distributed among districts is still tentative.

The current city code does not allow for new digital billboards to be constructed unless the city enters into a ‘relocation agreement,’ which requires sign owners to remove a billboard if another is built.

When this deal was first being hatched, Zeidner proposed that for every digital billboard built, three traditional billboards would be taken down.

The zoning requirements to build a digital billboard need to fall under either a commercial or industrial zoned area. One of the proposed billboards would be located in an agricultural zone, soon to be rezoned to allow for the construction of the billboard.

Concerns have been raised by community groups about the dangers and the carbon emissions the digital billboards will pose. The McKinley East Sacramento Neighborhood Association (MENA) has been active in opposing the billboards.

MENA recently sent a letter to the city’s planning department breaking down the energy use and the emissions from one digital billboard. It states that “a standard digital billboard consumes 397,486 kWh/year. One digital billboard is responsible for 108.41 tons/year of carbon dioxide.”

In other words, the greenhouse gas emissions are equal to just fewer than 14 homes or 18 cars.

An environmental impact report done by the city used SMUD’s emissions to factor how much energy the billboards will use.

The environmental impact report took into account the dangers billboards pose, distraction to the driver, how the intensity of the light may interfere with the drivers’ vision and possible reflection the signs
pose.

Several mitigation measures have been put in place in accordance Caltrans that include no special effects that include moving or flashing lights.

From the looks of things, the city and CCO are close to sealing this deal.

“We expect to come back to Council with the financials for the deal as well as the language for the updated sign ordinance in April,” wrote Daniel Roth, the district director, in an e-mail.